George Zimmerman

George Henry Zimmerman is a teacher, lecturer, and entertainer, or so his resume begins. As we all know, his story is richer than that simple sentence conveys. Perhaps a more revealing glimpse of him would be from one of his quotations: "Young folks have been a constant in my life. I am the richer for knowing you all. In many ways you have been the teacher for me."

George Zimmerman taught school for 40+ years without an education degree; degrees in Psychology, Religion, and Music History took his studies from Miami University to Harvard to the University of Washington and to the Ohio State University. He served the Dayton Public Schools as Primary Consultant and Supervisor of Music, and has taught at the University of Washington, University of Puget Sound, Capital University, Miami University, and the University of Dayton.

At Harvard, studies came under Dr. Curt Sachs, reknowned historian, and G. Wallace Woodworth, director of the Harvard Glee Club. Teaching days in Seattle were with Dr. Stanley Chapple, Ted Normann, Ed Hansen, and Dr. Egon Krauss, then director of music for the West German government. Throughout his years he was privileged to serve both the Ohio Music Education Association and the Music Educators' National Conference, and has made several presentations for the International Music Education Association during the terms of office of Zoltan Kodaly and Dmitri Kabalevsky.

This is a partial list of some of Mr. Z's accomplishments:

• Created and hosted a weekly television program on WLWD (1968-75) entitled PASSPORT TO MUSIC (for which he won an EMMY in 1973), and did two 13-week series for public television (1978) entitled BY GEORGE.
• Served the Dayton Philharmonic for 18 years as annotator and preparer of school study units for the Young People's Concerts.
• Served 20 years as National Music Director for the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
• Published a collection of original children's songs in 1964 (Seasons in Song, Tams-Witmark), and edited two song collections Start With a Song and Reflections.
• Presented 12 years of SOUND IDEAS lecture series for the Dayton Philharmonic Women's Association, 1980-1992, and received their FRIEND OF MUSIC award in 1992.
• Received the OUTSTANDING TEACHING AWARD from the Ohio Music Education Association in 1989.
• Created and hosted the summer abroad tour group through the University of Dayton called "VIENNESE MUSIC SAMPLER" (1982-1993).
• Created the original government grant proposal for the Dayton Public School's LIVING ARTS CENTER, 1964.
• Has written several operettas for elementary school children:
  • The Pied Piper of Hamlin
  • The Little Engine That Could
  • The Emperor's New Clothes
  • The Secret of the Easter Egg
  • The Horrible Dragon of Tee
• Created, hosted, and performed his legendary shows NOSTALGIA AND NONSENSE, OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS CAROL, and SING ALONGS for years, and has presented hundred of other musical programs throughout the region to fraternal, church, education, and civic organizations.
• Received the Phi Omega Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha ORPHEUS AWARD, 1995.
• Received the Delta Gamma, of Pi Kappa Alpha, Fred B. Joyner Professional Achievement Award for excellence in the field of music, 1997.